Former premier Alison Redford returned to the legislature Monday, sporting a new haircut but brandishing the same old impatience with reporters.

This was Redford’s first appearance in the assembly since she resigned as premier March 23 and the media were after her like seagulls chasing a fishing trawler.

And all we got were scraps.

Redford spoke with reporters in the hallway outside the assembly for less than four minutes before growing impatient with the questions and ducking back inside. During that time, she offered a brief explanation of why she hadn’t been in the legislature the past month, but refused to answer questions about the niggling little scandals that continue to haunt her legacy.

On her unexplained absence she said she was simply working in Calgary-Elbow: “Well, you know the last week was a break of the legislative assembly and the two weeks before that I was working in my constituency.”

What about the sightings of her in California? “Took Easter break with my daughter and my husband — first time in four years — and we went to Palm Springs, which I know everyone knows about. It was good for us to do that. We needed to do that.”

There is no doubt Redford needed some time off after suffering one of the most humiliating climbdowns in Alberta political history. And there were moments during Monday’s scrum she was fighting to maintain her composure. It was difficult not to feel sorry for her.

But Redford has made things more difficult for herself. If she had just explained herself a month ago, she likely could have avoided many of the “Where’s Alison?” stories that have dogged her.

Without an explanation of where she was and what she was up to, Redford created an information vacuum which her critics were happy to fill with speculation. Sightings of the former premier were so rare that they created a feeding frenzy among the news media who were desperate for pictures.

As far as the day-to-day operations of the government were concerned — and as far as the business of the legislature are concerned — this was a non-story.

But because it dealt with the fall from grace of the most powerful politician in provincial politics, it became the only story, especially when Redford seemed to do her best to duck both reporters and her responsibility to her constituents.

Journalists weren’t just curious about where she was for the purposes of political titillation. There were also real questions about her use of government aircraft while premier. And there were reports that while premier she wanted to build a penthouse suite for herself and her daughter atop the old Federal Building in Edmonton.

Reporters tried asking those questions Monday. But she didn’t have many answers.

On the so-called Sky Palace: “I know that you all reported on that story within a week of my stepping down. I know that I had representatives who provided you with information on our perspective. Reporters have written that story.

“You’ve all written that story. I don’t think that anything is gained by continuing to comment on that story and I have nothing else to add.”

On her using government aircraft to fly herself and her daughter to Jasper for what the opposition has called a family vacation: “All of that information was part of the questions that were asked when I was still standing in the house as premier. I’ve answered those questions in the house. I’ve certainly answered them to all of you and I’ll stand by those comments.”

At that point journalists could see they weren’t going to get answers. Redford was growing impatient just three minutes into the scrum.

“I’ve answered those questions,” said Redford, who hadn’t actually answered those question either then or now. “I’m certainly not stepping back from anything that I did and I’m not adding anything else to that story.”

And then the punchline: “Do you have anything new or are we done?”

A reporter tried to change tack by asking “what went wrong” with her premiership. But she wasn’t biting:

“I don’t know if I’m going to spend much time reflecting on that at the moment,” said Redford before adding that she’ll stay on as MLA for Calgary-Elbow.

And then she headed back into the assembly as one last question echoed off the marble walls: Would she seek re-election?

She ignored the question.

But reading between the lines of her clipped, impatient comments, the answer seemed fairly obvious.

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